Yes. Yes they did!

We got a response from the “consultant” that created this post (and pictured above), placed it on several different sites, and still can’t explain why it is offensive or what branding purpose it serves other than as a test. So we are going to politely as we can unpack her statement below of how she “did help us understand it” and why she is so gleefully looking forward to us “publishing” it. She isn’t quite sure what she got herself into, so let’s help her.

@GLEAMsocial Yes! (I posted that image) I did help you understand it. I left a comment on your post. Looking forward to seeing it published.

YOU DID? That is news to us. The lengthy comment (here in full) will be taken apart for the one reason alone. That our readers, and more importantly a company with the size, employees, or goals that Post Planner seems to have to operate on such faulty logic is an embarrassment for us all. That in 837 words she not only didn’t say anything useful, but she also seemed to think we know nothing about social media. So our honor is called into question, while she didn’t even address what bothered us about the post in the first place.

Do you think the people in these statistics, the ones who suffer someone else’s road rage, either in a car or the grocery store, would laugh at your post?

Did you while making this on your phone & posting on no less than 4 different places wonder about the triggering effect this might have on people who have experienced violence due to road rage? Surely not all of your many thousands of followers share such a sense of humor? We don’t even follow you but were one of what I’m assuming is in the low thousands (but possibly as low as a few hundred) who saw it. Rightfully such a joke seemed poorly timed, and even worse targeting. Are you trying to appeal to the violent men under 18? Do they have the $7 month to afford Post Planner? I doubt it. Nor should you adopt it, that tone, or position when branding anything. There is no debating this, but you go ahead & believe what you believe. On your personal account this is fine, but as a representational or even test-based nature for a brand it is an unqualified *face palm* #FAIL.

1 of these things is not like the other

Post Planner

Don’t know how to use social media testimonials? We can help! Learn how user generated content can light up your social media & provide social proof

What we do = Our Branding

We are from New Yawk, so this next part is clearly in our brand voice & directed to you as a consultant & the person at Post Planner responsible for the repulsive “test” post you did. Hence both our tone, and tenor, when it comes to your experience or so-called authority:

Vanity Metrics 101 [your words]:

Being on Twitter since 2009

Mentioning @Jack RT

it was in good fun?!?

134,000 followers

161,000 tweets (oh, more under other accounts)

Twitter is my sandbox

With all due respect, your sandbox has several turds in it, and looks like an uncleaned cat box. That isn’t a nice thing to say, but hey, it is true. Since our name, brand, and clients all know us for giving straight off the cuff, no-nonsense advice in a NY accent it is also on brand. We embrace the heresy too! The internet is a really great place to disagree with someone.

←You know who doesn’t get to give us advice, people who in their Twitter bio have a link to this website (that’s who!)

Fix your own house, okay? Check your own social proof or whatever you call it about how many people after that Jack RT went to this messy & early 2000 looking website & converted to paying clients, then get back to us, okay? Really we’d like an answer to that, one you don’t seem to have.

We asked did it work. You said it did. We say: PROVE IT. How many conversions? And how are you calculating sentiment exactly? Don’t point me to these other versions of it & the people commenting on it as proof that it works. You have 14k followers on Instagram, they are going algorithmic & yet you fail to see that getting 98 likes & 14 comments with that high follower count as a failure? That is to borrow a metaphor we saw on Twitter recently like having a huge stadium of people with only about 10 clapping. Even on your personal account you have 134k followers, how many of them “got the joke” or made the test work. You are clearly not doing it right, and a change of jobs & careers might be in the offing. Or we would gladly suggest you follow our series, our work, and this blog for more insights. Or if you wait until May you can buy the whole book on Amazon, it seems like you need it.

The only thing that matters Diana is this:

We can & do thrive at GLEAMsocial by not following Post Planners really limited & vapid philosophies. That even Hootsuite or any of your numerous competitors put out much better lead generating content, run their own social media accounts and convert that to more active paying users at higher rates. There is a solidity to what they say, even those things we disagree with. Their brand and others don’t have to dumb it down to get likes, run tests, or try out new things. That is what you missed in your so-called test. You know how we know? Because it is our jobs to evaluate & recommend third party tools to people.

You know who doesn’t have to run silly pointless tests like this? Our clients. They have strategy, time-worn metrics, and they are being themselves, not crafting messages that sound like pithy, possibly violent teenagers. They have character, assets, and charisma that doesn’t need any of these tricks. By being utterly human they are actually able to affect big change on both national & international levels. Which means you as a consultant or editor at Post Planner do have to resort to appearing like them. Appearing human, while you aren’t. You are a company, five years in, who has to run “tests” on social media. Don’t get it twisted, you didn’t explain anything to us except how limited your knowledge of branding is because you still have to run tests. And no press is bad press worked out really good for Paula Deen don’t you think?

You know what a brand is? At its core it is what people say about the company, the product and that is all. You have now in your response taken a possible influencer for further clients of your product, the one you were representing when you hit publish and turned us against it for life. Was that in your strategy? Does that show up in your results from the testing? If it isn’t, it should be. We hope you have a great day.

Post navigation

One comment

Welcome!

We've all seen the gleam in someone's eye we are smitten with, the light in the distance taking our breath away, or simply the way your friend's smile can fill your entire vision.

That is what the online revolution is about. That is what we are about: creating a conversation, sharing our vision of how interactive the world is, and translating that for small business people. People like you, who have no time to learn the latest fads or trends, who don't have marketing teams to tweet/blog/post for them, or the money for expensive branding exercises.

You need results—like yesterday! Let us help you find out how easy and manageable this process can be. Contact us for a free consultation on what your needs are and how we can help.

Email us today to find out more, or even call us if you want to get started today.